Early injury news could completely reshape the game plan for Notre Dame heading into its home opener against Texas A&M
The Notre Dame defense has a unique challenge when preparing for the Texas A&M Aggies for the home opener
With head coach Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football on a bye week, the program only had two things to do this weekend: get their bodies and minds back, and watch some college football. The team surely kept an eye on their next opponent, the Texas A&M Aggies, as they battled against Utah State on Saturday. It was a live opportunity to get an early jump start on more film study this upcoming week.
With Utah State being an inferior team in terms of talent, the game was about the Aggies preparing themselves for the battle in South Bend next week and doing their best to stay healthy. Unfortunately, we did see an injury during the game that the Fighting Irish should keep a close eye on. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed left the contest after an awkward fall on a scramble.
Reed was seen getting worked out by the medical staff and spending time in the medical tent as well. There was some reporting that Reed would have been available to return to the football game if needed, but he wasn’t during the 44-22 decisive victory. Coach Mike Elko was asked about it, but kept it brief while saying he expected him to be fine.
How Texas A&M handles this
It will be interesting to see how the Aggies staff handles the questions surrounding Reed this week during media availability. If they were smart, they would keep Reed’s status somewhat open-ended. You can call it gamesmanship to a degree, but it’s best to keep your opponent as much out of the know as possible.
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash will have to prepare like Reed will be behind center. He’s a dual-threat quarterback who brings a lot of ability as a runner. Through two games so far this season, Reed has been a ton more efficient passer, although not against good competition. Finding an answer for his legs, while not overplaying the run game, will be key. Reed has a lot of great weapons around him, so you need to attack with some level of balance.
Reed’s backup is redshirt freshman Mile O’Neill, who also got some playing time on Saturday against Utah State. O’Neil is a much different player from Reed, standing at around 6-5 and 220 pounds. He is a solid athlete, but is far from a dynamic runner. O’Neill is your prototypical pocket passer, having the arm strength to attack multiple levels of the field. That is where he is at his best.
The big key between the two quarterbacks is the huge differences between them. With even an ounce of uncertainty around Reed’s health, Ash will have to at least have a plan in place in case his Irish defense does see O’Neill. That means a fraction of the practice time will have to be planned for each of them accordingly. That is, again, assuming that Elko and the Aggies act with a bit of camouflage.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Early snapshot of the Texas A&M defense and the challenges the Notre Dame offense will need to be ready for in the home opener
An early look at the Texas A&M Aggie defense and the challenges it presents to the Notre Dame offensive attack
